


A Woman's Love

by MissErikaCourt



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 00:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4767266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissErikaCourt/pseuds/MissErikaCourt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto is locked in a battle with Pain, trying to save the Leaf Village, when an unexpected helper arrives on the battlefield.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Woman's Love

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was really upset as I watched this series of episodes because Naruto never even acknowledges Hinata's sacrifice, or that she's still alive, when he returns to the Leaf Village. You'd think that, after her confession of love, Naruto would have at least checked to see if she was okay. So, this is my take on what should have happened after he returned to the village.

There was absolutely nothing he could do but watch. He'd been pinned to the ground by Pain's chakra receiving rods, his body paralyzed, and Hinata had come to his rescue. He wasn't even sure why she was doing what she was doing. He hadn't payed any special attention to her, in fact he hadn't really payed any attention to her at all, and yet the sheer amount of love she was showing to him was staggering.

“Hinata, what are you doing?! He'll kill you! Get out of here!” Naruto screamed, begging her to retreat back to whatever safe place she'd sprung from when she saw him become immobilized.

“I can't do that, Naruto. I can't just sit back and watch him hurt you. You're a Shinobi of the Leaf, that means that the rest of us have to protect you. I may not be the strongest from our class, but I have to do what I can to help. You can't become Hokage if you're dead, so I can't let this go on. All of my life you've protected me, Naruto, even when you had no idea who I was. Now it's my turn to protect you.” Hinata said, taking up the Hyuuga fighting stance that everyone from her clan practiced.

“Hinata, you don't have to do this for me! I don't want you to sacrifice yourself just for me! You have to get out of here before it's too late!” Naruto yelled again, struggling against his restraints, but it was no use. The rods were stealing his chakra, making him weak and ineffective.

“I do have to do this for you, Naruto, because...because I love you, and I always have. I can't just watch you get beaten up and taken away. I'll stop him if it's the last thing I ever do.” Hinata replied, never looking back at Naruto. She launched her first attack, lunging at the orange haired man with the piercings that had been attacking their village, destroying the lives of thousands of Leaf residents, all for the sake of his hunger for power. Naruto just looked on, watching as Hinata delivered a series of blows charged with her own chakra in the Gentle Fist style of Taijutsu that all of the Hyuuga clan used. Pain looked as if he were having trouble avoiding her, he hadn't been prepared for an attack from another ninja, but he quickly shifted his focus to her. He wanted to get rid of her quickly.

“Hinata, there's a five second delay between his jutsu! If you can hit him in the five seconds after he casts one you can get him!” Naruto yelled, trying to help her in any way that he could. Hinata seemed to hear him, but was focused on the fight in front of her. She landed a few blows, which sent Pain spinning back and into a rock wall. She saw her chance and rushed to Naruto, removing some of the chakra rods that had penetrated his body. It hurt, but he withstood the pain as she pulled the rods out of his body. It seemed to pain her to even hurt him for the sake of freeing him, and he would remember to thank her for everything when this was all over. He watched her working diligently, trying to be gentle as she worked at freeing him, when he suddenly noticed pain rushing back toward them.

“Hinata!” Naruto yelled, and it was almost too late, but Hinata was fast. She moved out of the way just before Pain swung a fist at her, leaping away from Naruto, hoping to draw the enemy away so that she could get back to the work she'd been doing before.

“Look at your village, girl. Look at what I've done. Do you honestly think that you're any match for me at all?” Pain asked, his deep voice rattling through the tension in the air. Hinata's eyes were focused on him, the veins that protruded due to her Byakugan seemed to pulse with every ragged breath she took.

“You don't know what the will of fire can do.” Hinata replied calmly as she assumed her stance again. Pain smirked as he formed hand signs.

“All mighty push.” He said, and all the air in the Leaf Village seemed to be pushed away from him and sent Hinata flying toward another side of the giant chasm that Pain had made the first time he'd performed that jutsu. Hinata slammed into the wall hard, and sank to the ground, and Naruto watched in horror as Pain began to walk toward her.

“No! Leave her alone! You're fight is with me, Pain! Come back here and finish what you started!” Naruto screamed after Pain, but his words didn't make the Akatsuki falter on his path to the girl that had just confessed her undying love to Naruto. “Pain! You bastard! Come back over here!”

“You are a stupid girl.” Pain said as he grabbed Hinata by her hair and forced her to her feet. Her Byakugan had faded now, scratches and bruises already covered what little exposed skin she showed, and her body looked like it had been pushed to the point of breaking. “Since the two of you seem to have a special bond, I think I'll reunite you for a moment before I finish this. The Nine Tails Jinchuriki deserves one last taste of the love of his village before he meets his end.”

“Please, just let Naruto go, that's all I ask. I'll come with you in his place. I'll give the power of my Byakugan to the Akatsuki if it means Naruto gets to live.” Hinata panted out through the pain of her broken bones. At least four ribs had been broken when she made contact with the rock face, and she couldn't tell what other damage had been done. She raised a weak hand to her mouth to wipe away the blood as she was drug back to where Naruto was still being restrained in the middle of the crater. Pain threw her down in front of him, her purple eyes met with his crystal blue ones, and she could see nothing but pain reflected in them as he saw just how bad she'd been injured. His eyes scanned her, horror on his face as he took in the damage that had been done.

“Hinata...” He gasped. He wished he could reach out to her, comfort her in some way, but he was still pinned to the ground. She had managed to remove two of the rods, the ones that had previously been lodged in his ankles, but that wasn't enough. He still couldn't gather enough chakra to break himself free. “Why did you do this?”

“I told you, Naruto. I love you. More than anything in this world. I guess it took a life or death situation for me to confess it to you.” Hinata said through ragged breaths. _This is bad_. Naruto thought to himself as he watched Pain move closer to them. _If I don't do something, he's going to kill her right in front of me_.

“Leave her alone, I'll go with you without any more struggle, just let Hinata go free.” Naruto said with resolve as he looked up at his foe, Pain's purple Rinnegan fixed on the scene in front of him.

“I'm truly sorry, Naruto,” Pain began as he drew a black rod out of his own back. The end of this one was sharp, and he held it over Hinata's back as she continued to stare at Naruto. “you need to know the pain that I know. You need to feel the loss of all of your loved ones, then you'll know pain.”

“You destroyed my village! You've killed my Sensei, my Master, and who knows how many others! You think I don't know pain?! I'm the Nine Tails Jinchuriki! I know more about pain than you can fathom!”

“No. Only the loss of someone that you truly love can show you the pain that I feel, and now you'll know.” Pain said just before he plunged the black rod down and into Hinata's back. It made a sickening sound as it pushed its way past bone and through organs and tissue. Hinata coughed blood which spattered onto Naruto's face, and his eyes grew wide as he realized just what had happened. It was so fast, he doubted he would have been able to stop it even if he hadn't been pinned down and immobile.

“N-Naruto...” Hinata gasped out, her hand reaching up to rest on his. He wished he could grip it, he wished he could try to ease her pain, but he couldn't do anything. He was weak, just like he'd always been. He couldn't stop Sasuke from leaving and he couldn't stop the Akatsuki from destroying the village and taking him prisoner, but more importantly, he couldn't stop Pain from killing the only woman that had ever truly loved him.

“Hinata.” He cried out, his eyes filling with tears, the very thought of watching Hinata die in front of him filled him with a dread that showed evidently on his face. He'd thought that Sakura was the only object of his affection, but at this moment he realized that he couldn't have been more wrong. He loved Sakura for a different reason. Maybe because she'd been kind to him, maybe because it was just something else to beat Sasuke at, but he'd always loved Hinata. He truly loved her, he just didn't know it until now, and now it was too late to do anything about it. “I'm right here, Hinata.”

“Please, don't ever give up. I know you have what it takes to become the Hokage. You can defeat this man, I know it. Do it for me...Naruto.” Hinata said with her last breath. Naruto could feel the rage bubbling up inside of him, the red hot chakra of the Nine Tails rising, making it's way through his entire chakra network. He suddenly felt stronger, like he could break his bonds and attack Pain with everything he had.

“Pain!” He growled as the red chakra of the Nine Tails began to cover his body. “You'll pay for that!”

“Oh, so this is the power of the Nine Tails?” Pain said calmly as he watched Naruto become cloaked with red chakra. “I must say, it is impressive.”

“You die, right here!” Naruto said as he pushed himself to his feet. The black rods that had held him in place were still stuck in the ground, but he pulled himself off of them, and he didn't even feel the pain of them exiting his body. No, the pain he felt for Hinata was much greater. He would never be able to have a life with her now, and it was all thanks to the man standing in front of him. _Yes, Naruto, let my hat_ _red_ _consume you._ He could hear the Nine Tails voice in his head, feel his hatred combined with the beast's, and at that moment he couldn't stop himself.

 

oOo

 

When he finally regained consciousness Captain Yamato was standing over him. They were in a field somewhere away from the village, although he could still see the smoke rising from the aftermath of the Akatsuki attack. He could barely move, his whole body felt like jelly, he had no strength left in him at all.

“Captain Yamato, what happened?” He asked as Yamato helped him to his feet. Naruto draped an arm over Yamato's shoulders and Yamato put his arm around Naruto's waist for support.

“You killed Pain, but you almost transformed completely into the Nine Tails, I barely got here in time. You had eight tails that time, if you would have grown the ninth, who knows what would have happened.” Yamato explained. Naruto barely caught sight of Pain's body, and it was hardly recognizable.

“What about Hinata?” Naruto asked, looking back toward the village and remembering what had happened just moments before he'd blacked out.

“I don't know specifics about anyone in the village, we'll have to check on them when we get back.”

“I can't stop yet, I haven't found the real one.” Naruto said as he willed himself to stand on his own. He took his arm away from Yamato and made his way back to Pain's body.

“Naruto, what are you doing? You're in no condition to be going anywhere but to the hospital.” Yamato argued, but he knew as well as anyone else that changing Naruto's mind once it was made up was damn near impossible. Naruto took a black rod out of Pain's body and stuck it into his own shoulder, emitting his chakra through the rod.

“Just as I thought, this'll lead me right to him.” Naruto said as he watched the chakra trail go off into the mountains. He pulled the rod out of his body and took off in the direction his chakra had gone before Yamato could protest any further. It took a while in his state, but he made it to where the real Pain was hiding faster than he thought he'd be able to get there. He went inside a large tree that seemed to have been made of origami paper to find a man hooked to a massive machine and a woman with purple hair standing guard over him. They both wore the black robes of the Akatsuki.

“Don't come any closer.” The woman said, stepping forward.

“Have you come to kill me?” The man said, lifting his frail head to look in Naruto's direction.

“After what you've done to my village, I want nothing more than to kill you, but that's not what I came here to do. I don't want this fighting to go on. I don't want innocent people to keep dying for the sake of protecting me. I came here to hear your story, to hear why you carry so much pain in your heart, and to try to help you over come it.” Naruto answered, his fists clinched by his sides. It was true, he wanted nothing more than to kill these two people, but he had to stop himself from doing that. More killing wouldn't solve anything, and it certainly wouldn't bring Hinata back to life, or anyone else in the village, for that matter.

“You want to help me through my pain?” The man scoffed, then coughed up blood. The woman looked back at him, concerned, but she turned back to face Naruto after she was assured that he would be okay. “No one can take away the pain that I feel now. It's too great, too dark. I have to live with this burden for the rest of my life, but at least I can help bring peace to the world by extracting the Nine Tails from you. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Sacrificing a few Jinchuriki for the sake of the entire world doesn't seem like such a bad thing if it means we'll be able to live in peace.”

“You don't have to sacrifice anyone else.” Naruto said after a moment of thought. “I don't want anyone else to die, that won't ever bring peace to anyone. I want to hear your story. I want to know about your pain. Pervy Sage thought that peace could be achieved one day, and I believe that too, I just don't believe that we have to kill each other to achieve it.”

“If that's how you feel then you're a fool.” The man connected to the machine said before he burst into another fit of coughing. The woman went to his aid to try and soothe him. “It's okay, Konan, I'll be fine.”

“Nagato, you really should rest. Let me take care of him.” Konan said. Her voice was soft but her words were full of malice, and the look in her eyes made Naruto shiver. She was fully prepared to kill him.

“I want to tell him what he wants to hear. He won't be able to understand my pain, but perhaps he'll know, then, why a peaceful world can't exist.” Nagato said before he began his explanation. The story was a long one, but while he told it Naruto found out that Nagato, Konan, and another boy were orphans, taught the way of the Shinobi by Master Jiriya. Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko had been a squad of their own, Hanzo of the Hidden Rain Village attacked them, and Nagato was forced to kill Yahiko. Nagato hadn't lied, he had suffered a lot of pain and loss, but Naruto understood how it felt to lose a best friend, a Master, and now his village and his Sensei. How could Nagato say that he didn't understand?

“Listen, I understand the pain you've been through. My best friend is gone, and I've lost my Sensei and Pervy Sage, too. I know your pain, at least some of it. I also know that this isn't what Pervy Sage would have wanted for you.” Naruto tried to reason, but Nagato didn't seem to budge.

“Jiriya-Sensei's teachings were pipe dreams. He dreamt of a world without war or famine, a world where no one would suffer, but that can never be as long as Shinobi live in the world. If you believe in those teachings, you are a fool as well.” Nagato rebutted. Naruto looked to Konan, but he didn't see the hatred he'd seen before, he saw sadness.

“I've got this book that Pervy Sage wrote. For a long time I couldn't figure out who the main character was supposed to be, but I think I finally figured it out. I read the back cover, on it Pervy Sage describes a student of his that he based the character on. The student it you, Nagato.” Naruto said, which seemed to shock both of his sibling students. Naruto read an excerpt from the book, then looked up at Nagato. “The character might be based on you, and look like you, but his name...his name is Naruto! This should tell you that there's still hope for peace. Just believe in me, I can change the world. I will find a way for this world to live in peace, and that's a promise.”

“Naruto.” Nagato said in a wheezing breath. He seemed to have understood the message Naruto was trying to get across to him, but he still looked sad. “Perhaps you're right. I've let others dictate my thoughts for far too long. The Akatsuki wasn't supposed to be this kind of organization, the leader made it this way. I never wanted to hurt people, that was never Yahiko's wish. You, Naruto...you _can_ change this world. I believe in you.”

“Nagato...” Konan said almost in a whisper as he formed slow hand signs. “You can't...you'll...”

“I know.” Nagato interrupted. “This is the only way I can set right what I've done here today. I don't deserve to go on after this. At least this way, Naruto will have the people with him that matter the most, to help him through the long and rigorous journey he's about to face. Naruto, you will bring peace to this world. Don't let me down.”

“Don't worry, Nagato, I'll carry out Yahiko's dream for you.” Naruto said as he watched green beams of chakra leave Nagato's body and travel toward the Leaf Village. He was confused, but somehow he knew that whatever this was wouldn't hurt the people of the village. “What is it?”

“He's using the last of his life energy to bring back the people in your village that were killed during the attack. It comes at a heavy price, he'll lose his life, but he's doing it for you.” Konan answered as Nagato's body went limp. The green chakra stopped flowing and Konan went to remove Nagato's body from the machine he'd been strapped to.

“Thank you Nagato. I won't let you down.” Naruto said.

 

oOo

 

He'd taken a few moments to say goodbye to Konan, and make sure she wouldn't try to rejoin the Akatsuki in their plans. After she reassured him that she was only going back to the Hidden Rain, he said his goodbyes and headed back to the Leaf. He only made it a few steps before he felt his knees buckle and his legs give out, but Kakashi-Sensei was there to catch him, just like he always was.

“Kakashi-Sensei...” Naruto said softly as he was lifted onto the older man's back piggy back style. “I thought you were really done for.”

“I'm here Naruto, don't worry.” Kakashi answered, moving toward the village, in no particular hurry.

“And everyone else?”

“Everyone is making a full recovery thanks to you, I'm assuming. You really played the part of the hero today, Naruto. I'm proud of you.” Kakashi said, and even through his mask Naruto could tell that his Sensei was smiling. “Just rest until we get back to the village, you can see everyone then.”

“I think...I can...do that...” Naruto said as his eyes closed and he was lulled to sleep by the easy rocking of Kakashi's footsteps.

 

“Naruto, wake up, we're back.” Kakashi said after what seemed like only seconds. Naruto's eyes snapped open to see the smoking rubble of the village he'd grown up in, but at least there was something left of it. Kakashi let him down and he instantly thought of Hinata. The other's had been on his mind too. Choji, Shikamaru, Sakura, Ino...everyone he'd ever worked with in the village. He'd worried about them, but he saw them all standing at the front, waiting for him to return. The one person he didn't see was Hinata, and that was the person he wanted to see the most. He hadn't even realized that he'd started running until he had to stop quickly to avoid running into Sakura.

“Naruto! You made it back! Thank goodness you're okay, I was worried sick.” She said as she rushed up to meet him. Naruto's eyes shot straight past her, though, and into the crowd of people behind her. No matter where he looked he couldn't find the one person he was looking for. Sakura was still talking, but he interrupted her, not caring what she had to say.

“Where's Hinata?” He asked, finally meeting Sakura's eyes. She stopped talking, shocked at Naruto's urgency. “Tell me she's okay, Sakura.”

“Hinata is...” Sakura started, but at that moment a small, black haired, shy girl pushed her way through the crowd. Her purple eyes searching for Naruto's blue ones. She was nibbling on her fingernail, the way she always did when she was nervous, which was almost always when she was around Naruto. His eyes locked with hers and he didn't even stop to think. He practically pushed Sakura out of the way, rushing to the woman that had fought so hard to save his life. The woman that had sacrificed her own existence in an effort to save him. She was about to say something to him when his lips crushed urgently to hers, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her to him. He would never let her go again if he had his way. He would never let her feel invisible, not for a single second more. He would make up for all the times he'd ever ignored her feelings, and this was just the beginning. He felt her arms wrap around his neck before he ended the kiss. His forehead pressed to hers, her cheeks a pale pink from the suddenness of all of this.

“N-Naruto...” She stammered, her eyes wide as he stared into them.

“I love you, Hinata, and don't you ever forget that.” Naruto said before she could say anything else. “You were willing to die for me, and that's something that I can't forget. You confessed your love to me just before Pain...anyway, it doesn't matter. Because that made me realize something, Hinata. I've always loved you, I was just too much of a kid to see it. Now I know, and I won't ever let anything happen to you again, got it?”

Hinata nodded her head and blushed once more before she surprised herself, and Naruto, by pushing herself up the small distance to place another gentle kiss on his lips. This time his cheeks turned pink, and the biggest smile she'd ever seen spread across Naruto's face. The crowd suddenly burst into cheers, no longer able to hold back their excitement. The Hidden Leaf Village had gained a new hero, and that hero had gained a new love. Now he would be unstoppable.

 


End file.
